


Traditions

by cowboykylux



Series: 8 Nights of Light (Hanukkah Series) [13]
Category: Marriage Story (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Hanukkah, Jewish Character, Jewish Holidays, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:13:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28142934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cowboykylux/pseuds/cowboykylux
Summary: When Hanukkah finally comes to the Barber family, it is filled with light, love, and laughter. And through all the mess of the divorce, he's just glad that this celebration is back in his life, but more importantly, that it’s in his son’s now too.
Relationships: Charlie Barber/Reader, Charlie Barber/You
Series: 8 Nights of Light (Hanukkah Series) [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050878
Kudos: 7





	Traditions

“Is it time? Can we do it yet?” Henry asks at the table, the three of you finally sitting down to have dinner together. 

Charlie, much to his disdain, had to work later than he thought he would be, and only just arrives home as the sun is setting. You and Henry wasted no time preparing the big meal in his absence, knowing that he’d be starving when he returned to you, and now that he was back, you found yourselves talking about your day, as Henry eyes the kitchen window.

You and Charlie smile at one another over sips of your drinks, knowing exactly why he’s so filled with anticipation, and you give him a look as if to say, _it’s your turn to answer._

“Not yet.” Charlie disappoints his son, causing the kid to let out an exasperated groan, wanting the sun to disappear beyond the horizon so badly so that he could light the menorah for Hanukkah.

This wasn’t your first Hanukkah as a family, but it certainly did feel as electrifying and exciting as the first time had. Charlie had never really had much opportunity to celebrate when he and Nicole were still married, to her Christmas overtook the entire month of December and he never put too much effort in fighting her on that.

But he wasn’t with Nicole anymore, now he was with you, and how lucky was he that you wanted to celebrate one of his childhood favorite holidays together? No one felt the wonder of the holiday more than Henry though, who announced every morning which day it was, and who requested each morning that he should be allowed to light the candles in the evening.

Charlie had told him that it was only fair to alternate every night, and Henry conceded to that, but the anticipation only made his excitement that much more palpable. You weren’t sure if it were the importance of the act, or that Henry just really liked being a helper, but either way it warmed your heart to see him keep leaning over to glance out the window at the rapidly darkening sky.

“Now?” Henry asks again only a few minutes later.

Charlie gives you that same look, and you ruffle Henry’s hair playfully.

“No, not yet.” You tell him regretfully, and he thunks his head down onto the table.

“How much longer?” He complains, making you and Charlie both laugh a little around your brisket and kugel.

“Soon honey I promise.” Charlie reassures him, watching his son push around the glazed carrots on his plate.

“The sun’s just got to go down for a little while longer, and then.” You agree with your husband, making Henry’s head snap back up, eyes wide and hopeful.

“And I get to do it this time, right?” He asks, as if you could have forgotten in all his questioning.

“That’s right.” You nod, and that promise gets him through dinner.

The three of you eat and laugh and talk the evening away, until it’s firmly dark outside, the sounds of New York traffic coming to life, the city that never slept. You’re reaching for another chunk of challah when Henry asks for the final time,

“Now? It is time now?” He’s too excited to deny him any longer, and you decide that you’ve cleared most of your plates and that a break before desserts was probably a good idea anyway.

“You know what I think it is! Are you ready?” You get up from the table, Charlie and Henry hot on your heels as you move into the kitchen to search the drawer for the book of matches and the candles for tonight.

“Yes!!” Henry bounces up and down, his big toothy grin practically beaming as he reaches with both hands for the candles that you give him.

The menorah sits in the living room, in the little window facing the street so that all can see it. A couple families in the houses on your block are preparing their menorahs too, and you give the Goldsteins across the street a wave. They wave back, a happy coincidence that you’re lighting at the same time.

Striking a match, you light the shamash, blowing out the little flame on the wooden stick. Carefully, you hand the shamash to Henry, who looks up at you with a seriousness in his eye that shows he knows he’s responsible enough to not mess around and get burned. He was ten now, after all.

“Charlie will you do the honors while Henry lights them?” You wrap an arm around Charlie’s waist, and your husband kisses your temple with a nod.

“ _Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.”_ He recites from memory, much to your surprise. Last year he had to read from the little book you keep stashed in the same drawer as the candles.

Henry lights the newest candle first, looking at you and Charlie for approval.

“Yep go ahead, you’re doing great.” You encourage, a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“ _Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, she-asah nisim la’avoteinu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh_.” Charlie continues with the second prayer, and suddenly it’s as if the high energy of excitement has faded into the introspective appreciation of the holiday.

Here you are, as a family, celebrating something that runs so deeply in your heritage – something that if you had asked Charlie a couple years ago, he’d have laughed in your face at the sheer impossibility of it all. But this wasn’t a couple years ago, this was the here and now, and Charlie can see the faces of his family reflected in the window pane as Henry puts the shamash back in its spot.

“Not bad Mr. Barber.” You whisper, resting your head on his shoulder.

“I’ve been practicing.” Charlie catches your lips in a kiss, just a chaste one for half a second.

“Ew!” Henry wrinkles his nose, making you and Charlie laugh. Henry’s bouncing up and down once again, and you know exactly what he’s going to ask before it even comes out of his mouth, so much so that you prepare yourself for, “Presents??”

“Only if you’ve eaten all your vegetables.” Charlie puts his stern dad voice on, and Henry smacks his forehead in comical despair, running out of the room back to his dinner that he was so quick to abandon.

You and Charlie stay by the candles for a little while, watching them flicker and flare. Charlie leans down to steal another kiss now that his son isn’t in the room, and you let him, smiling against his lips.

“Chag Sameach.” You say softly, words that Charlie didn’t realize he had missed until he heard them coming from your mouth.

“Chag Sameach honey.” Charlie replies with one more kiss, before you pull away to go pull out the presents from where they rest against the mantle.

He watches you go, before turning back to smile at the candles, glad that this tradition is back in his life, but more importantly, that it’s in his son’s now too. 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the prompt: hey, zannah, happy hanukkah! may I request hanukkah prompt 5 (menorah) with charlie


End file.
